Aurora Organic Factory Dairy

The Aurora “Organic” Dairy operates at least five giant factory farms, each with thousands of animals, in both Colorado and Texas. The $100 million company supplies and packages private-label, store brand dairy products for many of the country’s largest grocery chains (Wal-Mart, Safeway, Target, Costco and others). The company has been under intense scrutiny from The Cornucopia Institute due to its highly questionable livestock management and organic practices.

In August 2007, Aurora was sanctioned by the USDA after the agency’s investigators found 14 “willful” violations of federal organic law. Instead of following the recommendations of career civil servants at the agency, that would have decertified Aurora and banned them from participating in organic commerce, Bush administration officials that run the agency placed Aurora on a one-year probation.

The USDA investigation was sparked by several legal complaints filed by Cornucopia documenting numerous organic improprieties from our own onsite visits and investigation of Aurora’s practices.

The following collection of topics and links provide an overview of the problems at Aurora and our campaign to raise awareness of the abuses while bringing the company into compliance with federal organic rules and consumer expectations.